Saturday, March 3, 2012

How to create and use a drawing grid

Print out these two worksheets to learn how to use a grid to draw and change the size of just about any picture:

Is it 'cheating' to use mathematics to figure out how to copy and enlarge a picture? No. As a matter of fact, humans have been using mathematics to create art since the beginning of recorded history.

When 6th grade mathematics teacher Amanda Solomon approached me about collaborating on a project involving art and math I was skeptical. How would the students feel about doing mathematics during art class?

How would they feel about getting a math grade for their art project? This assignment was so successful that the rest of my students have been begging to do it too.

Feel free to print out the worksheets above and try drawing the cartoons. You will need 12"x18" paper, a pencil and a ruler.

Here is a project you can do at home using just a computer and a printer.

Do an image search to find something you are interested in drawing. Copy and paste the image into any word processing program, such as Microsoft Word, center it on the page and print it out. Place the paper back into the printer and print one of the grids below so that it appears on top of your image.

You will most likely have to re-size your image to get it to fit inside the grid. You will probably also have to press the 'Enter' key a few times before pasting the image into 'Word' so that it is in the center of your paper.

If the picture goes off the edge of the grid the first time you try printing it, try using the other grid instead. One of the grids is horizontal and the other is vertical so one may work better than the other, depending on the dimensions of your image. You may have to play around with re-sizing your image and pressing the 'Enter' key to get it to fit under the grid just the way you want it to.

The grids below are 12x18 squares. If you draw a grid of one inch squares on to a 12"x18" piece of paper you can enlarge any image. When you use a grid to help you draw you will be standing on the shoulders of many great artists.

You might just have some fun learning math too!

You can quickly and easily make a simple view finder grid using thread, some tape and a picture frame or mat. I selected a mat that had a window opening of 3"x4.5". I decided to draw on a piece of 12"x18" paper. This worked well because everything I drew was exactly four times as large as the picture I was copying.

Use a ruler to find the middle of each side of the window and tape the thread to the back of the frame.

Turn the end of the thread and tape it a second time, as pictured below. This will prevent it from becoming loose later.

Now place your frame over any picture you wish to copy or hold it up to view anything you wish to draw.

Next, divide your drawing paper into fourths. It is best to do this with a ruler since folding your paper creates unsightly crease marks.

Focus on the top left box of the picture you are copying. Look at the edges of the skeleton in the picture below. Forget the details for now and focus only on how the outside contours of the figure fill the rectangle.

Draw a contour line that goes off of the edges of the upper left hand box of your paper at all the same places as the picture you are copying. In my case, the picture I drew was four times as large as the picture I was looking at.

After you have drawn the edges of the form, you can go back and add the details.

Albrecht Dürer used his invention to learn and record information about the world around him.

By looking through his perspective machine, Dürer was able to accurately translate three dimensional objects, people and landscapes on to a flat picture plane hundreds of years before the birth of photography.

To see an excellent documentary by the BBC on Albrecht Durer and the Northern Renaissance, click on this link: http://www.artfinder.com/artist/albrecht-durer/videos/Please note: The documentary is suitable for high school students or older. Many of Durer's works have Biblical themes and contain nudity in that context (his illustrations of Adam and Eve, for instance). The film is a valuable resource for teachers and advanced students wishing to gain a greater understanding of Renaissance art. Most people are familiar with Durer's artwork without even realizing it because of his famous drawing of the hands at prayer.

This is the amazing art blog. Being curious about paintings, sculptures etc., I recently visited Indian Art Ideas, an online art gallery which consist of beautiful paintings by different famous artists.

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About Me

Rachel Wintemberg teaches art at William C. McGinnis School in Perth Amboy NJ. When I am not teaching I love photography, ceramics, watercolor painting, visiting museums, creating animations, kayaking, hiking and spending time with my husband and daughter.
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